BRILLION – Millions of orange Ariens Sno-Thro snowblowers dot the rural and urban landscapes of the United States.

Literally millions.

Ariens Co. celebrated the production of its 4 millionth Sno-Thro this week with five units painted in a special black scheme overlaid with a topographical map of the Brillion area — its hometown.

“In my neighborhood I see a lot of orange,” said Kyle Zeamer, a team leader from Appleton who has been with Ariens for nine years. “In April, when we got that blizzard, all I could see was orange.”

He figures about 1.25 million of the units have been built during his tenure.

While you’ll find the units in use all over the state, where’s the No. 1 market for the Wisconsin-built product? New England.

“The difference between our snow and a lot of the rest of the country is our snow is typically a heavier and wetter snow,” said Steve Reitter, rental and service manager with Robinsons Hardware & Rental in Framingham, Massachusetts. “Less of a machine doesn’t do as well.”

Sure, New England is No. 1, but Chicago, Wisconsin and other Midwestern markets — well, really any place it snows — are key to the business.

Start to finish

Production of each two-stage Sno-Thro starts with raw steel that is stamped, welded and painted (orange and black) before a being sent to the assembly line at Plant No. 3 just off U.S. 10 in Brillion.

What starts as a small collection of parts quickly turns into a recognizable machine as workers on each side of the Sno-Thro production line add parts, tighten bolts and use a small overhead lift to move, and position, the engine.

The company holds its production rate and numbers close to the vest, but production is brisk, and getting faster.

It took 27 years from the introduction of the Sno-Thro in 1960 to hit the 1 million mark; 18 more years to hit 2 million; seven years to hit 3 million; and six years to hit 4 million.

Snowfall

While Ariens has a national market, workers get a sense of pride and accomplishment seeing their products at work in places like Appleton and Stevens Point (both with about 45 inches of snow on average). And Boston (an annual average of 44 inches of snow), and Buffalo (94 inches) and Cleveland (68 inches).